1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to computer systems and, in particular, to graphical user interfaces. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to selectively adjusting the transparency of windows within a user interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most operating systems provide a graphical user interface (GUI) for controlling a visual computer environment representing programs, files, and options with graphical images, such as icons, menus, and dialog boxes on the screen. Graphical items defined within the GUI work the same way across multiple software platforms because the GUI provides standard software routines to handle these elements and report the user's actions.
A typical graphical object defined by a GUI is a window or other defined area of a display containing distinguishable text, graphics, video, audio and other information for output. A display area may contain multiple windows associated with a single software program or multiple software programs executing concurrently.
Often when multiple graphical objects are displayed concurrently, the graphical objects will overlap. The order in which graphical objects are drawn on top of one another onscreen to simulate depth is typically known as the z-order of objects along the z-axis. Typically, those objects at the top of the z-axis obscure the view of those graphical objects drawn below.
In some operating systems, a level of translucency may be applied to graphical objects, and in particular to windows. By applying a level of translucency to upper level z-order windows, lower level z-order windows are rendered visible through the upper level z-order windows. Utilizing translucency is particularly advantageous such that the title bars for multiple z-order levels of windows are visible where the windows overlap.
However, as the number of translucent windows increases in a display area, the ability to distinguish between layers of translucent text becomes increasing more difficult. Further, even though it may be advantageous to display translucent layers of windows, a user may also have preferences to selectively view opaque windows. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,107, additional scroll bars are applied to each window in order for a user to select between various levels of translucency. However, translucency adjustable scroll bars are limited in that the translucency of a window as designated by adjusting a scroll bar does not provide information about the window. For example, the recent use of the window is not represented by the transparency once adjusted with a scroll bar.
In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide a method, system, and program for selectively adjusting the translucency of windows without adjusting the z-order. Further, it would be advantageous to provide a method, system, and program for selectively adjusting the transparency of windows according to a particular criteria, such as most recently used.